1.   Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Attorney General John Ashcroft outlined the tough stance amid objections by European and Latin American allies.

2.   But he later reversed his stance amid an avalanche of criticism of the defection deal.

3.   But the government has toughened its stance amid reports that many were not hardship cases and that criminals had been posing as refugees.

4.   Traders said investors took a cautious stance amid worries that nasty surprises on the political front might emerge this weekend.

5.   Both foreign investors and domestic institutional investors were out of the market, adopting a wait-and-see stance amid a lack of fresh incentives.